A Look at Thailand’s Top Protests

Antigovernment protesters jam an intersection in front of a Citibank office in Bangkok as mass rallies continue in the Thai capital on Jan. 14.

BANGKOK–Antigovernment protesters in Bangkok are braced for a fight that has no clear end, with tens of thousands continuing to hold rallies in a bid to drive Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra out of office.

Dubbed the “Bangkok Shutdown,” the rallies are the latest round of political turmoil to upset the country in recent years and are taking place at seven major intersections, many near shopping malls and government offices, in the capital of six million people.

Protesters say they’re prepared to rally as long as it takes for Ms. Yingluck to give into their demands. Led by former opposition lawmaker Suthep Thaugsuban, they say Ms. Yingluck is a front for her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was removed from office in a military coup in 2006 and has been living outside the country to avoid serving jail time for corruption charges he says are politically motivated.

Since the latest round of protests broke out in November, at least eight people, including a police officer, have been killed in clashes. With rallies set to continue, Southeast Asia Realtime looks back at some of Thailand’s more recent political conflicts.

Anti-Thaksin demonstrations in 2006: The then-prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, first drew public anger after selling his controlling stake in the family-run telecommunications conglomerate, Shin Corp, to Singapore’s Temasek Holdings for a tax-free $1.9 billion. The telecom industry is regarded as one of national interest, and foreign ownership is limited – though under Mr. Thaksin this restriction was loosened. Mr. Thaksin’s critics argued that in selling off his Shin Corp assets, he had essentially sold off a part of Thailand. Following the sale, tens of thousands of protesters took the streets to call for his resignation. Amid the pressure put on his government, Mr. Thaksin called a snap election and won, but the results did not appease his opponents. The Constitutional Court later invalidated the poll results based on a technicality and called for another round of elections. Before the polls took place, however, the military rolled tanks onto the streets while Mr. Thaksin was out of the country and took over the government.

Anti-government “Yellow Shirt” protests in 2008: Antigovernment protesters known for wearing yellow – the color associated with the country’s monarchy – led a mostly middle-class movement to oust the then-ruling People’s Power Party, which they claimed was under Mr. Thaksin’s influence. For more than three months, protesters moved to take over Government House, where the prime minister’s offices are located. They also occupied the country’s airports –leaving thousands of travelers stranded. The move hurt airlines and cargo businesses and harmed the country’s lucrative tourism industry. After a deadly clash between yellow shirts and police that left one dead and several injured, the Constitutional Court dissolved the People’s Power Party.

Anti-government protest at 2009 ASEAN Summit: In April, several hundred demonstrators, known as Red Shirts (also for their attire), stormed a major international summit in Thailand’s seaside town of Pattaya in a bid to oust then-prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Mr. Abhisit became prime minister following a vote in parliament, rather than by winning a general election, after the Constitutional Court dissolved the then-ruling People’s Power Party and removed his predecessor, Somchai Wongsawat. The chaos at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ summit forced Thai authorities to call in helicopters to evacuate foreign leaders and cancel what was supposed to be Asia’s biggest summit of the year. The protests then spread to Bangkok and led to clashes between demonstrators and the military. No deaths were reported, but the weeks-long unrest resulted in hundreds of injuries.

Pro-Thaksin protests in 2010: The Red Shirts took to the streets of Bangkok in early 2010 in continued opposition to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. In March, they occupied Bangkok’s central business district to demand a new election, much like they are doing at present. Months later, in May, more than 90 people were killed and thousands more injured in a series of bloody clashes between protesters and the military. Public prosecutors are currently investigating those responsible for the deaths and have charged Mr. Abhisit and Mr. Suthep, who was deputy prime minister, for ordering the military crackdown that led to the killings. Both men have denied the charges and said they would fight them in court.

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